Loading summary
Transcript1 lines
- [00:00]
A
From the voice of the Martyrs Extreme devotion Extreme wallpaper Korea Robert J. Thomas Day 261 I planted the seed in your hearts and Apollos watered it, but it was God who made it grow. It's not important who does the planting or who does the watering. What's important is that God makes the seed grow. First Corinthians, chapter 3, verses 6 and 7. Robert J. Thomas and his wife left to be the first missionaries to Korea in July 1863. His wife died soon after their arrival. In 1866, having evangelized for a few months in Korea and having learned the language, Thomas rode the American ship, the General Sherman along the Taitong river to the location of the present day capital of North Korea. The Sherman became grounded on a sandbar. Korean soldiers on shore were suspicious and scared and they boarded the ship waving long flashing knives. When Thomas saw that he was going to be killed, he held out the Korean Bible to them saying, jesus, Jesus. His head was cut off. 25 years after Thomas death, someone discovered a little guest house in this area with some strange wallpaper. The paper had Korean characters printed on it. The owner of the house explained that he had pasted the pages of this book on the wall to preserve the writing. The owner and many of the guests would come in and stay to read the walls. This was the Bible that Thomas had given to his murderers. The work of Robert J. Thomas, called the Temporary Missionary, continues in North Korea, where now God's word is not only pasted on their walls, but also hidden in their hearts. Imagine planting a garden in the spring, only to move in the summer. All the time and effort spent planting and weeding and watering the seeds for the tomatoes, peppers and melons seems wasted. The same can be said of our witness for Christ. Here the stakes are higher than a basket of tomatoes. Without the benefit of seeing the fruit of our labors, it can be painful to trust that our hard work will be appreciated and respected. Remember, God is the One who makes all things grow. We can trust that God will continue the work we have begun even when he moves us on. What gardens do you need to leave for someone else to grow?